A Reporter

Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid has urged both candidates in the Conservative leadership contest to stick to “promises made” to the Scottish fishing industry.

Mr Duguid said both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt must ensure Britain leaves the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and regain sovereign control over its waters as an independent coastal state.

The winner of the ballot of around 160,000 party members is due to be announced on July 23. The winner automatically becomes Prime Minister of the UK.

Mr Duguid was speaking after the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation urged both the Scottish and UK governments to appoint dedicated Cabinet ministers for fishing.

Chief executive Bertie Armstrong said it was important to have people with “experience and knowledge” of the industry in key posts as the UK prepares to enter the next phase of negotiations with the EU on trading arrangements post-Brexit.

Mr Duguid, Scottish Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan, said: “I am continuing to engage with both leadership candidates to ensure they both have a strong understanding of the complexity and nuance around the future of fisheries policy in Scotland.

“A minimum expectation from myself – and the industry – is that promises made by the current administration will remain intact.

“That means we leave the Common Fisheries Policy and regain sovereignty of our waters as an independent coastal state – like Norway or Iceland.

“We will need a fisheries agreement with the rest of the EU and we know that they will want to retain the ‘status quo’.

“We cannot allow other factors such as access to markets distract us from our goal of controlling UK and Scottish waters.”